Destiny: Rise of Iron Exotic Weapons Revealed

By Anthony Taormina 15 February 2018

The full list of unclassified exotic weapons for Destiny: Rise of Iron has been revealed, including details about a mysterious exotic weapon called Young Wolf’s Howl.

This is it. With less than 24 hours until the launch of Destiny: Rise of Iron, many players are putting in their last preparations before Bungie officially flips the switch and sends us into Year 3. But while many may be preparing by finishing Year 2 content, like their Moments of Triumph book, others are looking forward to the new content that is coming in Rise of Iron.

For those that want to know more about Destiny: Rise of Iron, the information is now out there, but it requires a little bit of digging. For example, we now know all of the new unclassified exotic weapons that will be added to the game on September 20th, including that mysterious exotic weapon that appeared in preview coverage last week.

That being said, there are some players who want to stay pure when it comes to Rise of Iron, and for those players we must give a spoiler warning. There isn’t too much to spoil at this point, since most of the unclassified exotics have been well covered, but there are still a few surprises.

In total, it appears Destiny: Rise of Iron will be adding 6 new exotic weapons to the mix, some of them returning favorites and a few new ones as well. Some of these weapons will be part of quest rewards, while others will be regular loot drops.

Favorite Exotic Weapons Return

We already know that the Gjallarhorn is coming back, so it’s no surprise to see it finally added back to the database. As far as how powerful the gun will be in Year 3 versus Year 1 is unclear, but considering how dominant the rocket launcher was we don’t expect the new version to pack quite as much punch.

Similarly, Thorn is making its big return, but recent balance patches have ensured that the damage-over-time hand cannon isn’t a Crucible menace. Even without the power of the DoT, Thorn was an effective hand cannon, but with lower range in Year 3 it’s hard to see players using it for anything other than PvE.

Khvostov 7G-0X

Everyone’s first Destiny gun, the Khvostov, is also making a return, but in exotic form. The Khvostov 7G-0X is arguably the most intriguing of the known exotics because it offers a lot of options. Essentially the weapon can be fired either as a scout rifle, a pulse, or an auto rifle, but it’s unclear which of those firing modes will be most effective.

New Exotic Weapons for Rise of Iron

For new exotic weapons, most Destiny players already know about the Trespasser. In fact, some may even have the Trespasser, since special weapon exotic engrams are already decrypting the weapon. This fast-firing sidearm is already proving to be pretty useful in Crucible, and has a unique sound to boot. The unique perks on the Trespasser make it so the bursts are extremely accurate and more devastating after a kill.

In video previews of Destiny: Rise of Iron, players were introduced to the Nemesis Star, a heavy machine gun that packs a wallop. Its unique perks make it more accurate the longer it is fired, but the rate of fire starts off fast and slows down.

And then there’s the Young Wolf’s Howl, an exotic weapon that was a complete mystery until video previews from Rise of Iron started appearing. Speculation abounded, but as it turns out the Young Wolf’s Howl is a new exotic sword for Rise of Iron. Its perks include increased armor while using the sword and an area of effect attack that unleashes fire with burning damage.

Nemesis Star

While some Destiny players may look at the list of exotic weapons and think it’s a bit light, but keep in mind these are only the unclassified exotics. These are the weapons that are currently viewable in the Destiny weapon database. We didn’t know about the Black Spindle, the Sleeper Simulant, or the No Time to Explain pulse rifle until their quests started appearing. There’s also presumably an exotic weapon tied to the Wrath of the Machine raid to look forward to, much like the Touch of Malice was for King’s Fall or Vex Mythoclast was for Vault of Glass.

Destiny: Rise of Iron releases September 20, 2016 for PS4 and Xbox One.